Chapter 14 Continued 3

"Where do we start," Tommy asked as Vinny poured him a second cup of coffee.

Anna Marie picked up the stone from the center of the circle and placed it in the middle of the table, then she scooped all of the remaining stones into the bag she had taken them from, leaving only the stone representing Tommy sitting all by itself at the center of the table. She then reached back into the bag and pulled out another stone which she held to her breast and paused, indicating that the stone she now held represented herself. She placed that stone next to his stone and smiled. Sansaa stood up and walking over to Vinny and said, "I have never been told quite so eloquently that it was time for me to leave." Vinny smiled in agreement but Targent lingered. He looked longingly at Tommy and Anna Marie as if he needed to stay with them, not quite understanding the exclusivity of Anna Marie's gesture. Vinny reached out his strong right hand and with little effort pulled Targent gently backward, away with the table, down the path which led to the commons. Targent quickly realized that he had no choice but to accompany them and turned to join them voluntarily. He followed behind them, meandering slightly as they went, like a little red wagon being drawn on a rope behind a bicycle; whenever they stopped he continued past, always turning back toward them as if tethered. Eventually, the three of them reached the commons.

Nearly everyone who lived within the Shadowlands had gathered in the commons. It was an area the size of a large arena bordered almost entirely by a rise in elevation varying in height around the perimeter, as if some large meteor had punched a hole in the ground, a crater filled with wild grasses and lush ground cover like creeping charlie and clover but different, beautiful and soft. All at once, the eyes of every person assembled there turned to greet the trio, expectantly. They were clearly waiting for Tommy, nearly half of them quickly returned to their conversations but to Vinny's great surprise, the other half continued to stare. Not only did they stare but they seemed genuinely enthusiastic to greet him! He knew many of them, but now that he was the brother of "Onjadiavaan", he had become something of a celebrity. Vinny kind of liked that. He didn't really have to do anything like conduct the energy of the universe through a crystal but he was looked upon with a certain measure of admiration, after all, he had brought "Onjadiavaan" to them. Beginning with his arrival in the commons, Vinny had a story to tell. The first time he told it, it wasn't really that well done. He left a few details out that really made the story. Even the second and third time were lackluster compared to the fourth and fifth but eventually he became one of the greatest storytellers ever to visit the Shadowlands. And why not, for he was telling one of the greatest stories ever told, the story of "Onjadiavaan and the OmegaLux Crystal - Shedavah".